Thill-coupling



(No Model.)

N. M. BRINKERHOFF.

THILL COUPLING. No. 269,630.

Fig.1.

Patented Dec. 26, 1882.

Alvriaeys.

ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NELSON M. BRINKERHOFF, OF MELMORE, OHIO.

THlLL-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 269,630, dated December26, 1882. Application filed September 30, 188 2. (To model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Nelson M. BRINKER- HOFF, acitizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Melmore, in the county of Seneca and Stateof0hio,haveinvented a new and valuable Improvementin Thill-Uouplings;and [do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the construction and operation of the same, referencebeing bad to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification,and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figure lot the drawings is a top or plan view of my coupling. Fig. 2 isa sectional view of the same, and Fig. 3 is a detail view.

This invention relates to a thill-coupling in which the eye'of thethill-strap is held between the ears of the shackle by means of a boltpassing through said eye and ears; and it consists in the constructionand novel arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fullydescribed, and pointed out in the claims appended.

In the drawings, A indicates the thill-strap, provided with an eye, a,which is held between the perforated ears I) of the shackle B by meansof a bolt which passes through said eye and ears. The bolt 0 is providedwith a circular and rounded head, 0, and with a pointed end, 0, whichlatter allows the bolt to be readily inserted into andpassed through thethill-stra p eye and perforated cars of the shackle, and also through anelastic washer, D, which is interposed between the head of the bolt andone of the ears of the shackle. The bolt is further provided with arectangular slot, E, near its pointed end,which slot extends through aportion of the projecting end of the bolt, and also through that portionof the bolt which has its bearing in the shackle-ear at this side of theshackle.

F indicates the key which is inserted in the slot to prevent the boltfrom slipping out of its bearings. This key is provided upon its inneredge with a lateral projection, f, formed so as to provide at its lowerend an offset or shoulder, f, the upper portion of the projection beinginclined back to the body of the key, as at 1' vertically through theslot, owing to said projection, and hence to insert the key it must befirst somewhat inclined, and the washer compressed by tapping orpressing upon the bolchead, in order to give a greater length of slotbeyond the ear of the shackle. The projection will then enter the slotand its offset extend into that portion of the slot which is within theear. The shoulderf will then rest upon the wall of the pert'orationinthe shackleear, and hence be prevented from dropping through the slot.The elastic washer, while preventing the boltfrom turning, will alsokeep the key well up against the shackle-ear, and thereby maintain theprojection on the key in place at the inner end of the slot and withinthe'shackle-ear. The key can readily be withdrawn by a reversal of theoperation by which it was inserted in the slot.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is-- 1. Thecombination, with the bolt havinga slotat one end,ot' theelastic washerfitted upon the boltbetween its head and oneot'theshackleears, and thekey which tits in the slot of the bolt, provided with a projectionwhich, when the bolt is in place, is received in that portion of theslot which lies in the perforation through the remaining shackle-ear,substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the shackle B, having two perforated ears, ofthe slotted bolt 0, which passes through said ears, the

This key cannot be passed key F, provided with'a projection having aNELSON MARQUIS BRINKERHOFF.

. Witnesses:

H. M. NEDRY, J AMES CHAMBERLAIN.

